Systems and methods for providing parental control features in video mosaic environments

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing parental control support in video mosaic environment are disclosed. Upon receiving a request for a video mosaic page, screen data, which may include parental control information, is received. The screen data may identify the video assets in the video mosaic page. A determination is made whether the video assets in the video mosaic page are locked or unlocked by parental controls in force on the user equipment. Locked assets may be masked and individually unlocked upon verification of a parental control access code or PIN. Unlocked assets may be presented in cells, or windows, in the video mosaic page and may also be individually locked and subsequently masked. A separate set of parental control settings may be maintained for video mosaic pages or the mosaic parental control commands may be resolved with system parental control settings.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/510,247, filed Aug. 24, 2006 (now allowed), which claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/711,344, filed Aug. 24,2005, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsrespective entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to media systems and, moreparticularly, to parental controls for media systems supporting videomosaics.

There are many devices in use in media systems today for controllingaccess to content (e.g., video or audio content) as a function of thenature of the content (e.g., the amount of sex or violence portrayedwithin the content). For example, using one common parental controltechnique, program content rating information may be sent along with atelevision signal (e.g., in the vertical blanking interval (VBI)) orstored in a program description database, and may be used to selectivelyblock access to undesirable or unsuitable content.

The program content rating information may include ratings for broadcastprogramming (e.g., Motion Picture Association of America ratings such asG, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17) as well as ratings of individual categoriesof program nature, such as violence, language, nudity, and sexualcontent. Generally, parental control systems today allow users toexclude or block content meeting or exceeding certain ratings criteria.

However, current parental control schemes have shortcomings. Forexample, due to the ever-increasing number of channels and servicesavailable in today's media systems, real-time video assets are beingpresented to users in a more user-friendly way. For example,remotely-generated video mosaics may present multiple video sources to auser in a single screen or page. For a description of one illustrativeremotely-generated mosaic environment, called “Video-Rich Navigation”(VRN), see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/395,380, filed Mar. 30,2006. Remotely-generated mosaics enable users to access services and/orassets from video-rich menu screens and displays. These screens anddisplays may include a number of video windows, or cells, which may befilled with digital video, digital or analog broadcast channels, orcomposite video streams (e.g., MPEG-2 streams composed of severaldigital channels). Current parental control devices fail to adequatelysupport these video mosaic screens because the screens are typicallycomposited from a number of different video sources. Each video sourcemay be associated with its own parental control information, such asratings information, making traditional parental control techniquesincompatible or inadequate to support these mosaics.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide parental control systemsand methods with enhanced support for video mosaic screens. It wouldalso be desirable to provide systems and methods for supporting enhancedparental control functionality for the individual screen elements in anyremotely-generated video mosaic page.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordancewith the principles of the present invention by providing an interactivecontent control application (ICCA) implemented on standard userequipment. The ICCA supports the individual control (e.g., locking andunlocking) of cells within a video mosaic display or VRN screen.

Upon receiving and parsing real-time screen data provided to the userequipment, the ICCA may identify the content in each cell in a videomosaic screen. Cells that correspond to locked content (e.g., contentexceeding a parental control ratings lock or violating a title orchannel lock) may be masked with an icon, graphic, or blank area, whilecells that correspond to unlocked content are displayed to the user.

Upon selecting a locked cell, the user is provided with an opportunityto unlock the cell and/or remove an existing parental control lock.After verifying a parental control access code, or PIN, several parentalcontrol options may then be presented to the user. These options mayinclude unlocking the locked cell, unlocking the channel correspondingto the locked cell, unlocking the rating associated with the content inthe locked cell, unlocking the title of the content in the locked cell,or any other suitable action. The ICCA may unlock cells permanently orfor some user-defined or system-defined time (such as until the usertunes away from the video mosaic).

Upon selecting an unlocked cell, the user is provided with anopportunity to lock the cell and/or create a new parental control lock.Several parental control options may then be presented to the user.These options may include locking the unlocked cell, locking the channelcorresponding to the unlocked cell, locking the rating associated withthe content in the unlocked cell, locking the title of the content inthe unlocked cell, or any other suitable action. The ICCA may lock cellspermanently or for some user-defined or system-defined time.

In some embodiments, parental control locks created, removed, orconfigured from a video mosaic or VRN screen may be synchronized withsome other parental control locks on the user equipment. For example,the ICCA may synchronize parental control mosaic locks with interactivemedia guidance application parental control locks. In other embodiments,two separate sets of parental control locks may be maintained. The usermay resolve or synchronize the two sets of parental control locks atregularly-scheduled times or after some user event takes place on theuser equipment.

In some embodiments, more than one video mosaic cell may besimultaneously selected. The user may then be given an opportunity tolock or unlock all selected cells. Alternatively or additionally,options may be presented to the user to lock all currently unlockedcells or unlock all currently locked cells. The ICCA may lock or unlockthe cells permanently or for some user-defined or system-defined time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention, its nature andvarious advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an illustrative interactive media system inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustrative display screen showing a number of videowindows, or cells, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative display screen showing an administrativeparental control access code prompt in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative display screen showing a VRN homepage with aparental control access button in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative display screen showing a parental controllocks setup menu and quick view overlay in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative display screen showing locked video windows ina video mosaic screen in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 7 is an illustrative display screen without the locked videowindows of FIG. 6 in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is an illustrative display screen showing locked video windowswith parental control access code entry dialogue prompt in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an illustrative display screen showing unlock options for alocked video window in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is an illustrative display screen showing temporal options forthe unlock options of FIG. 9 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is an illustrative display screen showing lock options for anunlocked video window in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is an illustrative display screen showing newly locked videowindows in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows an illustrative parental control flag structure inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 shows an illustrative process for presenting a video mosaicscreen to a user in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative process for unlocking a video windowwithin a video mosaic screen in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 16 shows an illustrative process for locking a video window withina video mosaic screen in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The systems and methods described herein are directed toward providingenhanced parental control functionality. Although the describedembodiments may refer to Video-Rich Navigation (VRN) screens, displays,pages, and/or environments, the present invention may be used with anyremotely-generated or locally-generated video mosaic screens. Inaddition, although the windows or cells of the mosaic pages aredescribed herein as being populated with analog or digital video frombroadcast television channels, the windows or cells of the mosaic pagesmay be populated with any suitable video assets. These video assets mayinclude live broadcast programs, video on-demand (VOD) assets,pay-per-view (PPV) assets, recorded assets (e.g., from a digital videorecorder, or DVR), locally stored assets, advertising, websites,previews, Webcasts, interactive games and applications, or any othersuitable content. The cells may contain full-motion video, audio, stillimages, text, icons, logos, or any combination of these (or any othersuitable) elements.

FIG. 1 shows illustrative media system architecture 100 for providingparental control support in a VRN environment in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention. Central facility 10 may include contentsource 12, VRN screen data source 14, and distribution equipment 16.Content source 12 may include any equipment suitable for producing orgenerating VRN screens. The video content from content source 12 may bein analog or digital form. In other embodiments, content source 12 maybe in a facility other than central facility 10, and may also providecontent for distribution as regular television channels (e.g., broadcastprogramming, VOD content, etc.).

VRN screen data source 14 may be any equipment suitable for generatingVRN screen data. For example, VRN screen data source 14 may be apersonal-computer (PC) based system or a workstation. User interface 18may be any suitable interface, such as a Windows-based or Unix-basedgraphic user interface (GUI), which allows, for example, an operator todefine VRN definitional files and synchronize the VRN screen data of thedefinitional files with content from content source 12. The userinterface may allow an operator to, for example, specify transitionsbetween distinct configuration specifications for selectable items insynchronization with video content. The user interface may also allow anoperator to define control data which controls, inter alia, theappearance, functionality, and interactivity of the screen elements, aswell as the content or asset displayed in a screen element.

The screen data may also include parental control information. Forexample, content from content source 12 may be associated with one ormore ratings (e.g., MPAA or television ratings). This parental controlinformation may be included in the screen data by VRN screen data source14. Other parental control information that may be included in thescreen data may include the source of the video content (e.g., channel),its title, and any other suitable information that may be required todetermine if the content violates parental control settings. In someembodiments, a unique identifier may be included in the screen data.From this unique identifier, parental control information may be derivedlocally without the need to transmit all the parental controlinformation in the screen data. See FIG. 13, below, for an illustrativeparental control data structure for use by VRN screen data source 14.Compiler 20, which may include any suitable combination of hardware andsoftware, compiles or translates the VRN screen data of the definitionalfiles into another format, such as binary, XML, or HTML format. In someembodiments, input from user interface 18 may be used to directlygenerate the screen data without need for compiler 20.

Distribution equipment 16 may be any suitable equipment for distributingVRN screens from content source 12 and VRN screen data from VRN screendata source 14 over communications path 19 to distribution facility 20,and further over communication path 28 for distribution to userequipment 30. Central facility 10 may distribute the screens and screendata to multiple distribution facilities 20, but only one has been shownto avoid over-complicating the drawing. In other embodiments, centralfacility 10 may distribute the VRN screens and screen data to users atuser equipment 30 directly. Distribution equipment 16 may distribute theVRN screens and VRN screen data in any suitable analog or digital formatand over any suitable communications path (e.g., satellite orterrestrial broadcast, the Internet, etc.). VRN screen data may bedistributed in-band or out-of-band from the VRN screens.

Distribution facility 20 may be any facility (e.g., a cable headend)suitable for receiving the VRN screens and screen data and distributingthe screens and screen data to user equipment 30. There may be multipleusers at multiple instances of user equipment 30, but only one instanceof user equipment has been shown to avoid over-complicating the drawing.Distribution facility 20 may include local insertion equipment 22 andcontent source 24 for allowing a local operator to insert content anddata into the VRN screens or VRN screen data, respectively, and compileVRN screen data into binary format for transmission (if required). Localinsertion equipment 22 may run, for example, a local version of userinterface 18 and compiler 20.

Distribution equipment 26 may distribute the VRN screens and VRN screendata in any suitable analog or digital format and over any suitablecommunications path to user equipment 30 (e.g., broadcast, cable, or theInternet.). The communication paths 19, 49, and 28 may include, forexample, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, an Internetpath, or any other suitable wired or wireless path. For example, VRNscreens may be provided as MPEG-2 feeds. Distribution equipment 26 mayprovide the VRN screens (and the VRN screen data) as tunable analog ordigital channels, or as VOD streams (both of which are referred toherein as VRN channels). The VRN channels provide the users of userequipment 30 with a set of interactive features that make up a VRNapplication.

In some embodiments, distribution facility 20 may provide the VRNchannel full-time over a given analog or digital channel. Alternatively,distribution facility 20 may provide VRN channels on-demand or duringspecific time intervals.

Distribution facility 20 may provide one or more VRN applications touser equipment 30. A VRN application may include a set of VRN screens,buttons, and associated functionality. For example, FIG. 4, described inmore detail below, shows a homepage display screen associated with anillustrative VRN application.

User equipment 30 may include any equipment suitable for providing aninteractive media experience and for implementing the VRN applicationsprovided by distribution facility 20. User equipment 30 may includetelevision equipment such as a television, set-top box, recordingdevice, video player, user input device (e.g., remote control, keyboard,mouse, touch pad, touch screen, or voice recognition interface), or anyother device suitable for providing an interactive multimediaexperience. For example, user equipment 30 may include a DCT 2000, 2500,5100, 6208 or 6412 set-top box provided by Motorola, Inc. In someembodiments, user equipment 30 may include computer equipment, such as apersonal computer with a television card (PCTV). In some embodiments,user equipment 30 may include a gaming system, a portable electronicdevice, such as a portable DVD player, a portable gaming device, acellular telephone, a PDA, a music player (e.g., MP3 player), or anyother suitable portable or fixed device.

In the example of FIG. 1, user equipment 30 includes at least controlcircuitry 32, display device 34, recording device 36, user input device38, and interactive content control application (ICCA) 31, which may beimplemented as separate devices or as a single device. A VRN client mayalso implemented on user equipment 30 to receive, execute, and supportVRN applications.

Control circuitry 32 is adapted to receive user input from input device38 and execute the instructions of the VRN client, ICCA 31, and anyother interactive applications running on user equipment 30. Controlcircuitry 32 may include one or more tuners (e.g., analog or digitaltuners), decoders (e.g., MPEG decoders), processors (e.g., Motorola68000 family processors), memory (i.e., RAM and hard disks),communications circuitry (e.g., cable modem circuitry), input/outputcircuitry (e.g., graphics circuitry), connections to the various devicesof user equipment 30, and any other suitable component for providinganalog or digital media programming and interactive media features. Inone embodiment, control circuitry 32 may be included as part of one ofthe devices of user equipment 30 such as, for example, part of recordingdevice 36, display device 34, or any other suitable device (e.g., aset-top box, television, video player, etc.).

Display device 34 may include any suitable device such as, for example,a television monitor, an LCD screen, a computer monitor, or a displayincorporated in user equipment 30 (e.g., a cellular telephone display ormusic player display). Display device 34 may also be configured toprovide for the output of audio and/or other sensory output (e.g., aholographic projector or virtual reality simulator).

Recording device 36 may be a personal video recorder (PVR), digitalvideo recorder (DVR), video cassette recorder (VCR), DVD-recorder, orany other suitable recording device. Recording device 36 may include oneor more tuners.

The VRN client implemented on user equipment 30 and ICCA 31 may be standalone applications or part of an interactive application, such as aninteractive media guidance application (IMGA) or interactive programguide (IPG). One or more of the interactive applications may receiveinteractive application data from application data source 40. As shownin FIG. 1, the data may be received via distribution facility 20 overcommunication path 49. Alternatively, the data may be received by userequipment 30 from application data source 40 over a direct communicationpath (not shown). Application data source 40 may also be part of centralfacility 10 or distribution facility 20. In some embodiments, theinteractive application data may include elements that are referenced inthe VRN screen data for inclusion in the VRN application such asgraphics, logos, advertising, and the like. VRN templates, for example,may be provided as part of the interactive television application data.

Homepages (and other VRN screens or pages) delivered to user equipment30 may include a number of interactive elements. Interactive elementsmay be highlighted and selected. If the user navigates to a specificinteractive element (e.g., by using the arrow keys on a remote controldevice), the interactive element may be visually highlighted in somefashion (e.g., a colored border may appear around the element). If theuser selects a highlighted interactive element (e.g., by pressing the“OK” button on a remote control device), the system may display aspecific tunable channel, VOD clip, VOD screen, or another interactiveapplication screen, based on selection behavior specified for theinteractive element in the VRN screen data.

ICCA 31 may support the VRN client implemented on user equipment 30 toprovide enhanced parental control functionality for VRN screens andpages. For example, ICCA 31 may parse received VRN screen data toidentify the rating of each element in a VRN screen. As another example,ICCA 31 may determine the channel, source, or title of each video assetin a VRN screen to support channel, source, and title locks (describedin more detail below). Upon selecting an interactive element within aVRN screen, ICCA 31 may display (or cause the VRN client to display)various parental control options. These options allow a user to create,remove, and configure various parental control locks for the individualelements of the VRN page.

In some embodiments, ICCA 31 resolves VRN parental control locks withanother set of parental control locks (e.g., system-wide or userequipment parental control locks established via an IMGA). In theseembodiments, ICCA 31 may send parental control commands to anotherinteractive application (e.g., an IMGA) at regular intervals. Theselocks may be synchronized in real-time or resolved in batch at auser-defined or system-defined time (e.g., 2 AM every morning). In otherembodiments, only one set of parental control locks is maintained onuser equipment 30 and all configuration changes are immediately resolvedor synchronized.

Although, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, ICCA 31 is internalto user equipment 30, ICCA 31 may be implemented externally or partiallyimplemented externally to user equipment 30. For example, ICCA 31 may beimplemented at central facility 10 or distribution facility 20 and mayrun using a client-server or distributed architecture where some of theapplication is implemented locally on user equipment 30 in the form of aclient process and some of the application is implemented at a remotelocation in the form of a server process. ICCA 31 may also beimplemented on any suitable server, computer equipment, or set-top boxaccessible by user equipment 30.

FIG. 2 shows illustrative VRN display screen 200 in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention. In the example of FIG. 2, screen 200contains eight numbered cells, or windows. Each of these eight cells maybe populated with a different asset or channel. For example, cell 202may include full-motion video from channel 225 Cinemax while cell 203may contain promotional advertising for new VOD movie releases. Each ofthe cells in display 200 may be individually selected using input device38 (FIG. 1). For example, the user may highlight a cell in display 200using the arrow or cursor keys on a remote control. In the example ofFIG. 2, cell 203 is currently highlighted, as evidenced by the darkenedborder around the cell. One or more cells may be simultaneouslyselected, if desired. For example, upon pressing an “OK” key on inputdevice 38 (FIG. 1), the selected status of a cell may toggle on and off.The user may then select one or more additional cells in the samemanner.

The number, location, size, and shape of the cells in display 200 may bealtered without departing from the spirit of the invention. As describedabove, screen data may be used to define the elements in a VRN page.This data may define more or less than eight cells and cells ofdifferent sizes, positions, and shapes than those shown in FIG. 2. Insome embodiments, the properties of the cells in display 200 arecustomizable by the user. For example, the VRN client may supportvariable-sized cells, and the user may drag a corner of a cell usinginput device 38 (FIG. 1) to increase or decrease the size of the cell.Similarly, a user may reshape a cell in one or more dimensions bydragging a cell boundary other than a corner. The VRN client may alsopermit cell positions to be altered in real-time while video assets areplaying. For example, a user may drag one or more cells to new locationsor rearrange the placement of the cells to further customize the page.

VRN display screen 200 may also include one or more of vertical optionbuttons 204 and horizontal option buttons 206. These buttons may linkscreen 200 to other VRN screens, the main IMGA screen, or perform anysuitable functionality. For example, one button may select all thenumbered cells in screen 200, while another button may deselect all thenumbered cells in screen 200.

FIG. 3 shows illustrative display 300 prompting the user to enter aparental control access code, or PIN, in accordance with one embodimentof the invention. Prompt 302 may include PIN entry message 304, PINentry field 306, and “OK” button 308. Message 304 may instruct the userto enter a four-digit numeric PIN. In some embodiments, parental controlaccess codes may be alphanumeric and may be shorter or longer than fourdigits. A user may enter a parental control access code into PIN entryfield 306 using input device 38 (FIG. 1). User may also be authenticatedby other means. For example, a voice recognition/verification module maybe implemented on the user equipment to authenticate via voice.Similarly, an iris or thumbprint scanner or external smartcard readermay provide authentication in lieu of prompt 302.

Prompt 302 may be displayed to the user at various times. For example,the user may be required to enter a valid parental control access codebefore being permitted to access a VRN homepage, such as screen 400 ofFIG. 4, described below. As another example, prompt 302 may be displayedto a user whenever the user attempts to access a parental control setuppage, such as screen 500 of FIG. 5, described below. A user may also berequired to input a valid parental control access code before accessinglocked content or performing any parental control functionality (e.g.,removing, adding, disabling, or enabling a parental control lock).

Prompt 302 may also include a default time-out value, whereby prompt 302is removed from display 300 after the expiration of some user-defined orsystem-defined number of seconds (e.g., 15 seconds). This preventsprompt 302 from permanently covering the content displayed in mainwindow 310. In some embodiments, when the content in main window 310 isparentally controlled, prompt 302 may not be automatically removed andthe underlying content may be blocked until the user has entered thecorrect PIN in PIN entry field 306. The content in main 310 may includea broadcast television channel, a program listing screen of an IMGA,full-motion VOD or PPV content, an interactive application or game, orany other suitable content or combination of different types of contentfrom which a locked screen or content selection may be accessed.

Upon selecting button 308, the ICCA verifies the parental control accesscode and either permits access to the locked screen or content orinvites the user to reenter a valid parental control access code. Insome embodiments, after attempting to input a parental control accesscode a pre-defined number of times, the ICCA locks all further parentalcontrol access code input attempts for a certain amount of time (e.g.,30 minutes). This may deter children and other unauthorized users fromrandomly guessing parental control access codes.

FIG. 4 shows illustrative VRN homepage 400 in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, homepage 400 isaccessible through a particular digital television channel. A user mayalso be presented with homepage 400 after selecting an appropriatebutton on input device 38 (FIG. 1). For example, a “Home Page” buttonmay provide direct access to homepage 400. In some embodiments, homepage400 may be optionally locked, requiring a valid parental control accesscode input (e.g., via prompt 302 of FIG. 3) in order to view the page.Homepage 400 may include main cell 404, one or more thumbnail cells 402,and option buttons 406. Main cell 404 and thumbnail cell 402 may both beVRN cells, capable of displaying full-motion video. In some embodiments,main cell 404 is approximately four times larger in size than thumbnailcell 402.

Options buttons 406 may include single-selection access to a variety ofcommonly-used features. For example, button 408 may be selected toaccess parental control features. Upon selecting button 408, a parentalcontrol setup screen may be displayed, such as screen 500 of FIG. 5. InFIG. 5, the menu of parental control setup screen 500 may include a listof selectable, parental control options 502-516. It may also include“quick view” menu 522, which shows the current status of parentalcontrol locks. In the example of FIG. 5, quick view status menu 522informs the user of the number of titles and channels locked, the TV andmovie ratings locked, and whether content locks and time locks areactive. Quick view status menu 522 may include more or less detailedparental control status information, if desired. Display screen 500 mayalso include help area 520, which may convey helpful information,instructions, or suggestions to the user.

Content locks allow the user to lock assets based on the type of contentin a program. For example, a user may lock programs containing one ormore of violence, sexual situations, coarse language, and suggestivedialogue. Content locks may also allow the user to lock assets based onone or more content advisories associated with an asset. For example, auser may lock programs associated with such content advisories as briefnudity, strong language, and graphic violence. Content advisories may beassigned by a programmer or by a public or private organization orgovernment agency (e.g., the Film Advisory Board or the MPAA). Contentlocks may apply to assets regardless of the assets' ratings. Programcontent may be locked by selecting the start setup wizard option usingoption 502.

In response to the user selecting option 502, shown highlighted in theexample of FIG. 5, the user may be presented with a parental controlwizard that takes the user step-by-step through the different parentalcontrol settings. For example, the wizard may include eight steps,providing one or more interactive display screens at each step. Duringan illustrative first display, the user may setup a parental controlaccess code. Additional subsequent displays may include, for example,one or more screens for setting parental control options by movieratings, one or more screens for setting parental control options by TVratings, one or more screens for setting parental control options bychannel, one or more screens for setting parental control options bytitle, one or more screens for setting parental control options by time,one or more screens for setting parental control options by service, andone or more screens for setting parental control options by content.Each of these screens may include help text explaining the relevance andeffect of a particular parental control setting and prompts asking theuser to set the various parental control settings. In the example ofFIG. 5, the parental control setup wizard also includes video of atalking head in the background. The video helps guide the user throughthe parental control setup process.

Upon selecting PIN setup option 504, the user may create or change theuser's parental control access code. Upon selecting movie ratings option506, the user is presented with one or more screens of movie ratingslock options. For example, the user may select which movie ratings(e.g., from G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17) to lock. Upon selectingtelevision ratings option 508, the user is presented with one or morescreens of television ratings lock options. For example, the user mayselect which television ratings (e.g., from TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-G, TV-PG,TV-14, and TV-MA) to lock.

Upon selecting channel locks option 510, the user is presented with oneor more screens of channel lock options. For example, the user mayselect which television channels to lock. Upon selecting title locksoption 512, the user is presented with one or more screens of title lockoptions. Title locks may lock more than one asset. For example, creatinga title lock of “The Jerry Springer Show” may lock all episodes of theshow on all channels.

Upon selecting time locks option 514, the user is presented with one ormore screens of time lock options. For example, the user may select atime period to lock access to all content or content of a particularrating. Finally, service locks option 516 allows a user to lock one ormore services accessible via the user equipment. For example, the userequipment may support access to VOD services, PPV service, and gamingservices. Some of these services may be provided at an additional chargeto the user. As another example, the user equipment may support directaccess to the Internet. By creating a new service lock, Internet accessmay be locked.

Although parental control setup screen 500 lists the most commonparental control locks in options 508-516, in other embodiments, anothersuitable combination of parental control locks may be included inparental control setup screen 500. For example, genre locks, directorlocks, and actor locks may be supported and displayed as selectableoptions in parental control setup screen 500.

FIG. 6 shows locked video windows in video mosaic page 600 in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention. Before displaying each element inmosaic page 600, the ICCA may parse screen data received by distributionfacility 20 (FIG. 1) to determine the identity or attributes of thevideo assets in each cell on the page. The screen data may include suchinformation as the number of cells in a page, the location (e.g., the xand y coordinates) of each cell, the sizes and shapes of each cell, etc.When a user tunes to a broadcast channel or video service, such as a PPVor VOD service, the VRN client (or the ICCA) may first determine whetherthe channel or video stream includes screen data. This determination maybe made automatically, or performed only when the channel or stream isidentified as a remotely-generated mosaic channel or stream. If thechannel or video stream does not have associated screen data, the VRNclient may continue to monitor the channel or stream to detect such dataif it subsequently becomes available. Once screen data becomesavailable, the data is parsed and the individual screen elements areidentified.

In some embodiments, the screen data includes unique identifyinginformation for each cell in mosaic page 600. The ICCA may then use thisunique identifying information to look up parental control informationfrom a network location or content source (e.g., content source 12 or24, both of FIG. 1). Alternatively, parental control information may becached locally to the user equipment in a database or other suitablelocal storage location. The parental control information looked up fromthe network location, content source, or database may include anysuitable asset information needed to determine if the asset is locked byone or more parental control locks in force on the user equipment. Forexample, parental control information may include ratings information,title information, channel information, or any other suitable assetinformation.

In some embodiments, the screen data may include a parental control flagdata structure for each selectable element in mosaic page 600. Severalfields may be defined in the parental control flag structure, includinga source identifier, a rating, and a title. The parental control lockstructure is described in more detail below in regard to FIG. 13. Insome embodiments, video assets without parental control information(e.g., without corresponding screen data defining the asset's parentalcontrol information) are locked by default. In other embodiments,parental controls are not applied to such assets.

When the ICCA determines that one or more elements in a video mosaicpage should be locked due to a match between identifying information inthe screen data and information about local parental control settings,the ICCA may mask, or blank out, those elements with a graphic, icon,text, or logo. For example, locked cells 602 and 604 are masked with agray box and a “Locked” label. The location of the mask may bedetermined from the received screen data. For example, the screen datamay define the x and y coordinates of each cell, the cell size, shape,and/or any other property of the cells in display 600.

The screen data may also define control data for each cell. The controldata (also referred to herein as action data) may define actionsassociated with a user selection of a cell. For example, the controldata may instruct the VRN client to link the user to a broadcast channelor to order a VOD or PPV asset upon selection of a cell. For cellslocked by parental controls, the control data may be redefined orsupplemented by the ICCA so that one or more new actions are definedupon a user selection of a locked or masked cell. Similarly, the ICCAmay redefine or supplement the control data so that one or more newactions are defined upon the selection of an unlocked cell. For example,as shown in display screen 800 (FIG. 8), the control data may instructthe VRN client or ICCA to present a parental control access code inputupon the user selection of a locked cell. The ICCA may also redefine orsupplement the control data so that a series of lock/unlock overlays andprompts are presented to the user upon selection of a cell, as shown inFIGS. 9-11. The ICCA may also redefine or supplement the control data sothat any other suitable action occurs upon the user selection of a cell.

In addition to masking the area of locked cells in display screen 600,the ICCA may also block the audio associated with any locked cells (ifany). For example, the audio associated with an unlocked cell may beautomatically selected when the cell is highlighted, while the audio maybe muted or alternative audio may be selected when a locked cell ishighlighted. Locked cells may also be at least partially masked with oneor more of text label 605 and graphic 606. For example, graphic 606 mayinclude a key or key and lock icon, and text label 605 may read“Locked.”

In some embodiments, locked elements in a video mosaic page are removedfrom the page before presentation of the page to the user. The ICCA maythen dynamically recreate or rerender the mosaic page without the lockedelements, if desired. As shown in FIG. 7, this may create the appearancethat the locked elements never existed. For example, locked cell 3 isremoved from mosaic screen 700 and cells 702 and 704 are now positionedadjacent to one another. Locked cell 6 is similarly removed from thepage. In addition to removing the locked elements, the ICCA may recreatethe page so that the remaining cells are relocated or repositioned. Forexample, the remaining cells may appear centered in mosaic screen 700.In some embodiments, the cell size is also dynamically adjusted tocompensate for the missing cells. For example if four out of eight cellsare locked, the four locked cells may be removed from the display andthe size of the remaining four cells may be increased by approximately50%. In this way, a user may not be aware of locked elements that weredynamically removed in a mosaic page.

If locked cells are completely removed from the page, and the page isrerendered with a change in position of the remaining cells, the ICCAmay map incoming screen data and control data to the location of the newcells. Because the incoming screen data may incorrectly reflect the oldlocation of the cells, the ICCA may maintain a table of the originalcell locations and the new cell locations. In this way, the ICCA mayassociate incoming screen data with the correct cell in the newlyrendered page. If the locked cells are removed without a change inlocation of the remaining cells, the ICCA may simply ignore or drop anyscreen data received for the removed cells.

FIG. 8 shows illustrative mosaic page 800 with locked cells and aparental control access code input. Upon selecting locked cell 804, theuser may be given an opportunity to unlock the cell by entering a validparental control access code into input 806. Unselected locked cell 802may not include a parental control access code input until the cell ishighlighted or selected. The user may input a parental control accesscode using input device 38 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, multiplelocked cells may be unlocked at the same time by selecting more than onecell and then inputting a parental control access code.

Upon successfully inputting a valid parental control access code, thecell may be immediately unblocked or the user may be presented withseveral unlock options, as shown in FIG. 9. Mosaic page 900 now includesunlock options overlay 902. This overlay may identify the one or moreselected cells by one or more of the following attributes: channel name(e.g., “HBOE”), channel number (e.g., “24”), asset title (e.g., “TheBourne Identity”), and asset rating (e.g., “R”). These attributes mayidentify the locked asset that will be displayed in the locked cell oncethe cell is unlocked. If multiple cells are selected to be unlockedsimultaneously, then unlock options overlay 902 may include multipleoverlays displayed consecutively or one large overlay containing theattribute information for each selected cell to be unlocked.

Unlock options overlay 902 may contain at least four unlock options. Theuser may select unlock option 904 to unlock the selected cell windowonly. Unlocking a cell window only may not affect the parental controlsettings in force on the user equipment. Rather, unlocking a cell windowmay merely cause the asset in the cell to be displayed while the videomosaic is displayed. The user may select unlock option 906 to unlock thechannel corresponding to the selected cell to be unlocked. The user mayselect unlock option 908 to unlock the rating associated with the cellto be unlocked. Finally, the user may select option 910 to unlock thetitle of the asset in the cell selected to be unlocked.

Typically, not all of unlock options 904, 906, 908, and 910 will beavailable in unlock options overlay 902. For example, if a cell inmosaic page 900 selected to be unlocked was in fact locked only due to aratings lock (e.g., an “R” movie ratings lock), then, in someembodiments, only unlock ratings option 908 may be displayed in unlockoptions overlay 902. As another example, if a cell in mosaic page 900was locked only due to a channel lock (e.g., a lock on channel “HBOE”),then only unlock channel option 906 may be displayed to the user inunlock options overlay 902. In some embodiments, unlock option 904 tounlock the window may always be present.

Upon selecting any unlock option from unlock options overlay 902, theuser may be presented with temporal options overlay 1002, as shown inmosaic page 1000 of FIG. 10. The options in temporal options overlay1002 may supplement or further define the unlock option selected inunlock options overlay 902 of FIG. 9. Illustrative temporal options intemporal options overlay 1002 may include unlock permanently option1004, unlock until power off/log off option 1006, and unlock for aduration option 1008.

Unlock permanently option 1004 may remove a parental control lockpermanently (i.e., until the lock is manually reinstated). For example,if unlock channel option 906 is selected and then unlock permanentlyoption 1004 is selected, the lock on the specified channel may beremoved completely. This, of course, does not prevent the lock frombeing reinstated at a later time. A user may select unlock until poweroff/log off option 1006 to enforce the removed lock only until the userequipment is powered down, restarted, or the current user logs off. Auser may also select unlock for duration option 1008 to remove aparental control lock for a user-defined amount of time. The user maycustomize the amount of time to remove the lock by changing durationoption 1010. In some embodiments, duration option 1010 defaults to areasonable duration, such as two hours. An internal timer or clockwithin the user equipment may be used to implement the duration setting.

Upon selecting an option from unlock options overlay 902 of FIG. 9 and,optionally, temporal options overlay 1002 of FIG. 10, the ICCA mayremove the appropriate lock for the selected duration. Additionally, insome embodiments, the lock may be perpetuated to the main parentalcontrol locks on the system, as described in more detail in FIG. 15,below. In other embodiments, video mosaic or VRN parental control locksare maintained and enforced separately from other parental control lockson the system. When a user enters a video mosaic or VRN page (such ashomepage 400 of FIG. 4), mosaic parental control locks may be enforced,while when the user is accessing traditional content (e.g., a broadcasttelevision program, movie, or recorded content), system parental controllocks may be enforced.

A user may also lock an element or cell in a video mosaic page. FIG. 11shows illustrative display 1100. Upon selecting any unlocked element inthe page (e.g., cell 1102), the user may be presented with lock optionsoverlay 1114. Similar to unlock options overlay 902 (FIG. 9), thisoverlay may contain at least four lock options: lock window only option1106, lock channel option 1108, lock rating option 1110, and lock titleoption 1112. The current asset being displayed in the selected cell tobe locked may be identified in lock options overlay 1114 by channelname, channel number, title, and/or rating. As with the unlock optionsoverlay, the user may select any option in lock options overlay 1114 tobe presented with a temporal options overlay (not shown) similar totemporal options overlay 1002 (FIG. 10). Thus, locks may also be setpermanently, until power off/log off, or for a user-defined duration.

In the example of FIG. 11, the user would like to create a new parentalcontrol lock for the channel corresponding to cell 1102. Therefore theuser may select or highlight cell 1102 and press a “Lock” key on anyavailable input device. The user then may select lock channel option1108 (and, optionally, the user may select a lock temporal option) tocreate the new channel lock. Since the channel corresponding to cell1102 is now locked, the cell may then be masked. As shown in FIG. 12,cell 1202 of mosaic page 1200 is grayed out. Cell 1204 may remain lockedfrom another parental control lock in force on the system.

The ICCA may parse screen data in order to identify the elements in avideo mosaic page. Each “chunk” of screen data may be associated with aspecific video asset in a video mosaic page or with any other set orsubset of the screen data. For a further description of the screen datachunks and an illustrative object definition, see U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/395,380, filed Mar. 30, 2006, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. FIG. 13 showsillustrative parental control flag structure 1300 in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention. The screen data object definition mayinclude 16-bit flag value 1302, which determines if a parental controlflag structure (“PC”) is included in the object. Flag value 1302 mayalso indicate which parental control structures are included. If flagvalue 1302 indicates that PC is set, one or more parental control flagstructures may be included in the object definition.

In the example of FIG. 13, the parental control flag structure includeslock source identifier 1304, lock rating 1306, and lock title 1308.These three fields may be used by the ICCA (and the VRN client)implemented on the user equipment to identify the source of each assetdisplayed in a video mosaic page. In some embodiments, lock sourceidentifier 1304 may be a 16-bit value representing the source (e.g.,channel) of the content associated with the object. The ICCA may look upsource identifier 1304 in a local channel or source map to identify theasset. The channel or source map may be regularly updated to reflect newasset availability. The ICCA may then use this information to determineif the asset should be locked. For example, if the source identifierindicates that the asset is from a locked channel or that the channelidentified by the channel map is currently broadcasting a locked titleor an asset with a locked rating, the ICCA may determine that this assetshould be locked.

However, some assets may not be included in the local channel map or theasset may not be available via a traditional channel. For example, avideo mosaic cell may contain locally recorded content from a DVR orother recording device. A video mosaic cell may also contain aninteractive application or game or a video-on-demand asset. These typesof assets may not be generally listed in the local channel map or sourcemap. For assets that the rating and/or title cannot be determined solelyfrom lock source identifier 1304, lock rating field 1306 and lock titlefield 1308 may be provided. Lock rating field 1306 may be a 16-bit valuerepresenting the rating (e.g., MPAA rating) of the asset. Lock titlefield 1308 may hold a text string of 8-bit characters representing theasset's title. Alternatively, any suitable program identifier or assetidentifier may be used. For example, this may include the provider IDand asset ID fields as defined in the CableLabs Video-On-Demand ContentSpecification Version 2.0.

The ICCA may parse these fields and reevaluate the parental controlcriteria at regular intervals. At a minimum, the criteria should bereevaluated at each program or asset boundary on the source. In someembodiments, the ICCA reevaluates parental control information moreregularly. For example, the ICCA may parse new parental control dataevery minute, every few seconds, or as new screen data is received bythe user equipment, if desired.

FIG. 14 shows illustrative process 1400 for presenting a video mosaic orVRN page to the user. At step 1402, a user request is received for avideo mosaic page. For example, a user may press the “Homepage” key oninput device 38 (FIG. 1) to request the VRN homepage 400 (FIG. 4). Atstep 1404, the ICCA may determine if the requested page is locked. Forexample, homepage 400 (FIG. 4) may be accessed through a particularchannel number. A channel lock may be set on the user equipment toprohibit access to homepage 400 (FIG. 4). If the ICCA determines thatthe requested page is locked, a parental control access code prompt maybe presented to the user a step 1406. For example, prompt 302 (FIG. 3)may be displayed to the user. The parental control access code may bevalidated at step 1408, and the user may be given another opportunity toinput a parental control access code if the previous attempt wasinvalid.

After a successful parental control access code input or if therequested page was not locked, screen data may be parsed at step 1410.As described above, the screen data may be parsed before presenting avideo mosaic page, at regular intervals thereafter, or at any othersuitable time (e.g., at program or asset boundaries). After parsing thescreen data, at step 1412 the ICCA may determine if any objects arelocked on the page due to parental controls. If there are no lockedelements, all elements of the page may be presented to the user at step1416. For example, step 1416 may correspond to the display of homepage400 (FIG. 4). If, at step 1412, the ICCA determines that there arelocked elements on the page, these elements may be masked or blocked atstep 1414. For example, a black or gray mask or button may be placedover the locked element, as shown in locked cell 604 (FIG. 6). This maskmay include text, such as text 605, a graphic, such as icon 606, or anyother suitable feature. In addition, the action or control dataassociated with the locked elements may be redefined or supplemented atstep 1414. For example, the action data may be redefined to present aparental control access code prompt upon user selection of the locked ormasked cells.

The locked elements of the page may also be converted into selectablebuttons with a parental control access code inputs, such as input 806 oflocked cell 804 (FIG. 8). This allows a user to immediately input avalid parental control access code to unlock the locked cell. In someembodiments, a notification message (not shown) may inform the user oflocked elements before or immediately after a page with locked elementsis displayed, at which time the user may enter a parental control accesscode to unlock all locked elements on the page.

After masking the locked elements of the page at step 1414, the unlockedelements may be presented to the user at step 1416. As shown in FIG. 7,in some embodiments, the locked elements are removed from the pagecompletely. The unlocked cells may then be repositioned or resized so asto give an appearance that no elements are missing from the page.

In practice, one or more steps shown in process 1400 may be combinedwith other steps, performed in any suitable order, performed in parallel(e.g., simultaneously or substantially simultaneously) or removed. Forexample, screen data may be parsed at step 1410 before or duringvalidation of a parental control access code at step 1408. In someembodiments, the screen data may even be parsed while the parentalcontrol access code prompt is being displayed at step 1406.

FIG. 15 shows illustrative process 1500 for removing or disabling aparental control lock from a video mosaic page. At step 1502, the ICCAmay receive a request to unlock an element in a video mosaic or VRNpage. For example, the user may select a locked element, such as cell804 shown in FIG. 8. If, at step 1504, a parental control access code isnot set, the user may be given am opportunity to create a new parentalcontrol access code at step 1505. If a parental control access code isset, the ICCA may present a parental control access code prompt to theuser at step 1506 and validate the code at step 1508. For example, theparental control access code prompt may be displayed in a locked cell,as shown in cell 804 (FIG. 8) or an overlay or prompt (such as prompt302 of FIG. 3) may be presented to the user. After creating a newparental control access code at step 1505 or successfully validating aparental control access code input at step 1508, the user may bepresented with various unlock options. For example, overlays 902 (FIG.9) and 1002 (FIG. 10) may be presented to the user. These overlays mayallow the user to unlock the locked cell only, unlock the channel (orsource) associated with the cell, unlock the rating associated with theasset in the cell, unlock the title associated with the asset in thecell, or any other suitable action.

The user may additionally be given an opportunity to select a durationfor the unlock action. For example, overlay 1002 (FIG. 10) allows theuser to remove a lock permanently, until power off of the userequipment, until the user logs off, or any user-specified duration(e.g., 2 hours). The ICCA receives the unlock options and optionalduration at step 1510, and the object is unlocked at step 1512. Inaddition, the action or control data associated with the newly unlockedelement or elements may be redefined or supplemented at step 1512. Forexample, the action data may be redefined to the original unlockedstate, where a user may be presented with a video asset upon selectionof a cell.

In some embodiments, VRN or video mosaic parental control locks aremaintained separately from system parental control locks (e.g., theparental control locks established via a traditional IMGA). In otherembodiments, there exists only one “master” set of parental controllocks. At step 1514, the ICCA determines if the unlock action should bepropagated. If so, at step 1516 the unlock action is resolved with themain set of parental control locks in force on the user equipment (orsome other set of parental control locks, e.g., a set of user-specificlocks). After the locks are resolved or the determination is made not topropagate the unlock action, the VRN or video mosaic page is presentedto the user with the newly unlocked objects at step 1518. For example,the newly unlocked objects may be unmasked or otherwise made visible tothe user. The objects' associated audio may likewise be accessible tothe user.

In practice, one or more steps shown in process 1500 may be combinedwith other steps, performed in any suitable order, performed in parallel(e.g., simultaneously or substantially simultaneously) or removed. Forexample, in some embodiments, the user may not be prompted for unlocksource or duration, and the content may be unlocked only within themosaic cell for the duration of the display of the mosaic, withoutpropagating the lock change.

FIG. 16 shows illustrative process 1600 for creating or enabling aparental control lock from a video mosaic page. At step 1602, the ICCAmay receive a request to lock an element in a video mosaic or VRN page.For example, the user may select an unlocked element, such as cell 1102shown in FIG. 11 and press a predefined key such as a lock key on userinput device 38 (FIG. 1). If, at step 1604, a parental control accesscode is not set, the user may be given an opportunity to create a newparental control access code at step 1605. If a parental control accesscode is set, the ICCA may present a parental control access code promptto the user at step 1606 and validate the code at step 1608. Forexample, an overlay or prompt (such as prompt 302 of FIG. 3) may bepresented to the user. After creating a new parental control access codeat step 1605 or successfully validating a parental control access codeinput at step 1608, the user may be presented with various lock options.For example, overlay 1104 (FIG. 11) may be presented to the user. Thisoverlay may allow the user to lock the unlocked cell only, lock thechannel (or source) associated with the cell, lock the rating associatedwith the asset in the cell, lock the title associated with the asset inthe cell, or any other suitable action.

The user may additionally be given an opportunity to select a durationfor the lock action. For example, overlay 1002 (FIG. 10) showscomparable options for an unlock action. The user may enable the lockpermanently, until power off of the user equipment, until the user logsoff, or any user-specified duration (e.g., 2 hours). The ICCA receivesthe lock options and optional duration at step 1610, and a new lock maybe created at step 1612 based on the options received at step 1610.

As described above, in some embodiments, the user may wish to propagateparental control settings to another set of parental control locks. Atstep 1614, the ICCA determines if the lock action should be propagated.If so, at step 1716 the lock action is resolved with the main set ofparental control locks in force on the user equipment (or some other setof parental control locks, e.g., a set of user-specific locks). Afterthe locks are resolved or the determination is made not to propagate thelock action, the VRN or video mosaic page is presented to the user withthe newly locked objects masked at step 1618. For example, the newlylocked objects may be grayed out or otherwise hidden from the screen asshown in display 600 (FIG. 6). The objects' associated audio maylikewise be inaccessible to the user. In addition, the action or controldata associated with the newly locked objects may be redefined orsupplemented at step 1618. For example, the action data may be redefinedto present a parental control access code prompt upon user selection ofthe masked objects.

In practice, one or more steps shown in process 1600 may be combinedwith other steps, performed in any suitable order, performed in parallel(e.g., simultaneously or substantially simultaneously) or removed.

The above described embodiments of the present invention are presentedfor purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the presentinvention is limited only by the claims which follow. For example, thedescription herein may refer to the ability to lock and unlock a videocell within a mosaic page. In some embodiments, this may include theability to lock an unlock other types of assets and controls on themosaic page, such as menu option button.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying assets in a video mosaic,the method comprising: receiving a first user request to change aparental control lock status of a channel; in response to receiving thefirst user request, while a first video mosaic is displayed, determiningthat a first video asset in the first video mosaic is associated withthe channel, wherein the first video mosaic includes a first pluralityof videos that includes the first video asset; causing a second videomosaic to be automatically displayed, wherein the causing comprises atleast one of masking and unmasking the video asset in the second videomosaic, wherein the second video mosaic includes a second plurality ofvideos that includes the first video asset; receiving a second userrequest to change a parental control lock status of a second videoasset; in response to receiving the second user request, determining areason for a current parental control lock status of the second videoasset; and causing to be displayed an unlock option based on thedetermining.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parental control lockstatus is based on at least one of a source identifier, a channelidentifier, a rating, and a title.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinvideo assets in the first video mosaic screen are selected from a groupconsisting of a live broadcast program, a video-on-demand (VOD) asset, apay-per-view (PPV) asset, a digital video recorder (DVR) asset, aWebcast, a preview, an advertisement, an interactive game, and aninteractive application.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the maskingthe first video asset comprises removing the first video asset from thefirst video mosaic.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising one ofrepositioning and resizing video assets in the second video mosaicscreen in response to receiving the user request.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein masking the first video asset comprises causing one or anicon, text, and graphic to be displayed in place of the first videoasset.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein masking the first video assetcomprises masking the first video asset in response to receiving aparental control access code input.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe user request is a request to unlock the channel.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising: causing a parental control access codeprompt to be displayed in response to receiving the user request tounlock the channel; receiving a user input in response to displayedprompt; and validating the received user input.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein the user request to unlock the channel is a user request tounlock at least one rating associated with the channel.
 11. The methodof claim 8, wherein the user request to unlock the channel is a userrequest to unlock at least one title associated with the channel. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the user request is a user request tolock the channel.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:causing a parental control access code prompt to be displayed inresponse to receiving the user request to lock the channel; receiving auser input in response to displayed prompt; and validating the receiveduser input.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user request to lockthe channel is a user request to lock at least one rating or titleassociated with the channel.
 15. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising redefining screen data associated with the first video assetin response to receiving the user request to change the parental controllock status of the channel.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein thescreen data defines actions in response to a user selection of at leastone of the plurality of video assets in the first video mosaic.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first video mosaic andthe second video mosaic is generated remotely from the user.
 18. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the parental control lock status is changedfor a predetermined duration of time.
 19. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving a third user request to change a parental controllock status of a third video asset; and in response to receiving thethird user request, causing to be displayed an unlock option to changethe parental control lock status of the channel.
 20. A system fordisplaying assets in a video mosaic, the system comprising: inputinterface circuitry; and control circuitry configured to: receive, viathe input interface circuitry, a first user request to change a parentalcontrol lock status of a channel; in response to receiving the firstuser request, while a first video mosaic is displayed, determine that afirst video asset in the first video mosaic is associated with thechannel, wherein the first video mosaic includes a first plurality ofvideos that includes the first video asset; cause a second video mosaicto be automatically displayed, wherein the causing comprises at leastone of masking and unmasking the first video asset in the second videomosaic, wherein the second video mosaic includes a second plurality ofvideos that includes the first video asset; receive, via the inputinterface circuitry a second user request to change a parental controllock status of a second video asset; in response to receiving the seconduser request, determining a reason for a current parental control lockstatus of the second video asset; and cause to be displayed an unlockoption based on the determining.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein theparental control lock status is based on at least one of a sourceidentifier, a channel identifier, a rating, and a title.
 22. The systemof claim 20, wherein video assets in the first video mosaic screen areselected from a group consisting of a live broadcast program, avideo-on-demand (VOD) asset, a pay-per-view (PPV) asset, a digital videorecorder (DVR) asset, a Webcast, a preview, an advertisement, aninteractive game, and an interactive application.
 23. The system ofclaim 20, wherein the masking the first video asset comprises removingthe first video asset from the first video mosaic.
 24. The system ofclaim 20, wherein the control circuitry is further configured toreposition and resize video assets in the second video mosaic screen inresponse to receiving the user request.
 25. The system of claim 20,wherein masking the first video asset comprises causing one or an icon,text, and graphic to be displayed in place of the first video asset. 26.The system of claim 20, wherein masking the first video asset comprisesmasking the first video asset in response to receiving a parentalcontrol access code input.
 27. The system of claim 20, wherein the userrequest is a request to unlock the channel.
 28. The system of claim 27,wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: cause a parentalcontrol access code prompt to be displayed in response to receiving theuser request to unlock the channel; receive a user input in response todisplayed prompt; and validate the received user input.
 29. The systemof claim 27, wherein the user request to unlock the channel is a userrequest to unlock at least one rating associated with the channel. 30.The system of claim 27, wherein the user request to unlock the channelis a user request to unlock at least one title associated with thechannel.
 31. The system of claim 20, wherein the user request is a userrequest to lock the channel.
 32. The system of claim 31, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further configured to: cause a parental controlaccess code prompt to be displayed in response to receiving the userrequest to lock the channel; receive a user input in response todisplayed prompt; and validate the received user input.
 33. The systemof claim 31, wherein the user request to lock the channel is a userrequest to lock at least one rating or title associated with thechannel.
 34. The system of claim 20, wherein the control circuitry isfurther configured to redefine screen data associated with the firstvideo asset in response to receiving the user request to change theparental control lock status of the channel.
 35. The system of claim 34,wherein the screen data defines actions in response to a user selectionof at least one of the plurality of video assets in the first videomosaic.
 36. The system of claim 35, wherein at least one of the firstvideo mosaic and the second video mosaic is generated remotely from theuser.
 37. The system of claim 20, wherein the parental control lockstatus is changed for a predetermined duration of time.
 38. The systemof claim 20, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:receive a third user request to change a parental control lock status ofa third video asset; and in response to receiving the third userrequest, cause to be displayed an unlock option to change the parentalcontrol lock status of the channel.